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Friday, January 27, 2012

The first time I heard of The WoMen’s Literary Cafe dates back months ago, and I had conversed with Melissa Foster on Twitter occasionally. However, it was Andy Holloman who approached me about a book launch slated for December.

I had run into Andy on Twitter and Facebook, but when he said “please call me to discuss the details” I was a little taken back. Before this event, my conversing with my fellow authors was limited to written forms of communication–Twitter, Facebook and emails. I wasn’t sure why he couldn’t share the details of this launch over email. But Andy was persistent. He emailed me again a while after the first mention of it and said if I wanted to be involved with the Mystery Launch I needed to let him know right away. I was thinking at the time, who is this guy?

So I DM’d Melissa Foster on Twitter and mentioned Andy’s invite. She told me I was definitely welcome to join the launch and then told me I’d have to call her to go over the details. Another phone call? I guess when I spend a lot of my work day on the phone, I’m not a fan of it after hours. But I called her, and I’m glad I did.

As self-published or indie authors we have to stand out among the thousands of books available out there. We need to take advantage of all the exposure we can get and utilize these platforms. After speaking to Melissa, I knew I wanted in on this. I also loved her expressions of authors needing to support their fellow authors as I subscribe to the same belief. In fact, we need each other to succeed.

The group of us worked together, behind the scenes as it were, to organize the event. We set up daily documents of things we wanted tweeted. It was exhausting for me, not only did I have the responsibilities assigned due to the launch, but I had just come off a new release of my own and had another scheduled for around the time the launch was to go live. But every day, I faithfully grabbed their tweets and shared them with my followers, and they in turn shared mine. We became interwoven, almost dare I say a type of family, during the approximate month before the launch.

Although the launch came to an end December 15th, the friendships we made during this time remain strong today. Despite all the hard work we put into spreading the word, none of us wanted to put the support of each other behind us. We still converse on a daily basis and support each other’s works.

And you may ask: did I learn anything from this event? Let’s suffice it to say I have grown, and evolution to an author is critical.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

A few months ago, I was excited when I was picked to join an exclusive group of authors to help participate in the launch of MelissaFoster’s novel, "Come Back To Me".

It was unlike any launch I had ever seen. Melissa didn’t really want to promote her release as much as she wanted to give back to the authors participating. It was one of the most unselfish author moves I’d ever seen since writing.

Instantly, I knew I wanted to be a part of this group and Melissa Foster’s idea of The WoMen’s Literary Café. I felt good about writing, the positive energy, and the new author friends I was connecting with. We tweeted each other, cheered each other, boo hooed with each other, and became a tight-knit group.

There are so many blogs out there that claim to “pay it forward” or promote authors, but there always seemed to be a catch. Not with The WoMen’s Literary Café. WLC is a gathering place for every single industry official including the reader.

It doesn’t matter what road to publishing the author has taken, self-publishing or publishing house or both, everyone is welcome at WLC. Everyone matters!

That is truly paying it forward in a positive way. There is nothing negative about the WLC. You can participate as much as you want and give back as much as you want. I wanted to give back because it makes me feel good. I love helping authors out on what has and hasn’t worked for me.

I’ve sold over 19,000 books in the last five months, so I like to think I know something about marketing and promoting my novels. I even co-authored a craft book, The Tricked-Out Toolbox (available January 2012), and was honored when Melissa asked me to be a member of the elite blogging group and blog about marketing and promoting.

It’s a perfect way for me to give back to the literary world. I love my readers so much, and have gotten a lot of love from them by marketing and promoting effectively, that I’m striving to let every author experience what I have experienced.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

So, I am pleased to present this guest post today to celebrate not myself or my work, but rather the support of the Women’s Literary Café. The WLC was the brainchild of author Melissa Foster. I followed Melissa on Twitter for some time, but never really had any interactions with her. Then one day I saw her tweet about looking for authors to join a launch party of her new book, “Come Back toMe.” I was thrilled to join the group and be a part of something like that.

I was and still am relatively new to the author game. I haven’t been around that long or had a lot of exposure to marketing and social media. After seeing Melissa tweet about the WLC many times, I finally got up the nerve to send her a message and ask her what I thought was probably a silly question, “Is the WLC for women only?” Her kind and pleasant response was of course not, come aboard. Naturally, I did and the rest is history.

The Women’s Literary Café is more than just a site that promotes authors and books. There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes. The authors are constantly talking and discussing topics in forums, and always looking for that next great event. If you visit the site, you can see that they offer many promotions for authors, bloggers and readers alike, it truly is the playground of the literary world!

My personal experiences with the group have been amazing to say the least! I have gotten to know so many great people through the network, and it has grown into the biggest support group you could even imagine. For example, pretend you have something important you want to tweet out to your followers, now imagine dozens of others tweeting that same thing out for you to 10’s of thousands of followers!!! I recently decided to try my hand at the KDP Select program to see how that works. I ran my first free book promotion recently, and my fantasy novel which hasn’t been out long or gained a lot of exposure yet hit #8 on the top 100 free epic fantasy books on Amazon due to the support of this network. I could go on and on with numbers, but I think the point has been made.

Maybe the best thing about the WLC is the friendships that have been made there. It’s about more than just supporting the works of others, but rather also just supporting others. I was able to attend a book signing and meet someone from the WLC that lived close to me; it was a great experience and was absolutely my pleasure to do. We talk freely almost daily about many things; personal lives, celebrating triumphs or even lending supporting ears and voices to someone in need. So when I say support group, I pretty much hit the mark with that statement.

Last but not least, the WLC is a group that conducts itself with dignity and ethics. The WLC is about honest promoting and connecting with readers on a more personal level. The members of this group are terrific, and you couldn’t ask for a better bunch. They also handle things internally, so you won’t see any nonsense when you visit the WLC, just the celebration of books and those who love them!

Now that you’ve heard all of that, come on over and visit, you won’t be disappointed I can attest to that!

Keith ~ I wonderful post! I am so glad that you have gotten so much out of the WLC, and like you I treasure those friendships greatly! You are always there to lend and hand and put your 2 cents in about something - Thank you! ~ Stacy

To learn more about WoMen’s Literary Café (hosting both men and women), please visit:

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Just before I met Melissa Foster online, I was beginning to figure out a few things on how to better market my novels. Twitter and blogging were new to me, but things were starting to click.

Then, I met Melissa. I think I contacted her about doing some inexpensive advertising on one of the websites she manages. I finally had some money—not much, just some—coming in from my book sales, so I thought it was about time to pay for something.

Next thing I knew, everything changes. With a simple little question from her (would you like to be in my book launch promotion?), my marketing world expanded tenfold.

During the month leading up to the launch, I learned a ton. Melissa hosted a video chat where she talked about her experiences with marketing. What worked for her. What didn’t. She also shared information with us on a group forum.

What I appreciated the most was that Melissa and the WLC fostered a sense of community and knowledge sharing among the participating authors. I learned from other authors and I got share about the things that working for me. For the first time since I started this writing journey, I finally had a sounding board of other authors to bounce ideas off of.

Then I started giving back. I started blogging about some of the things I was learning. One article I wrote (How To Double Your Sales), which detailed my experience for the two months prior to the launch and the month during the launch, caught the attention of a lot of authors. People were asking me questions. Crazy! But, I was happy to share.

Not only did I gain a ton of exposure through WLC and increased sales (245%), but I also made friendships and became a part of a community of authors who love helping others. It has been a wonderful experience—one that I encourage all authors to consider.

Karen ~ I too find it amazing when people come to me and ask questions and want help - but that is what the WLC is all about - helping others. So glad you are part of our group! Thank you for all that you have done - keep passing it on! Thank you! ~ Stacy

To learn more about WoMen’s Literary Café (hosting both men and women), please visit:

Monday, January 23, 2012

I don't generally allow the Creator's here for the interviews, but well.... She was rather pushy about it, so I let her stay on one condition, she was not allowed to interrupt, We will see how that goes.

Welcome Stuart! Please do us a favor and tell us a bit about your story.

Vision is about the love of my life, or I should say, lifetimes (but that is all the spoiler I will provide), Layla Stone. I am Stuart Fairchild, and have loved Layla for hundreds of years.

Stuart that makes you very old. What about Layla?

Layla is what we call “Clear.” That is to say, she can read thoughts and predict events. This is not the hocus pocus nonsense you often hear of, this is a genuine, authentic gift passed down through the maternal side of her family.

Wow... It comes from the Maternal side, huh!

It is rare, and there are not many like her alive. The problem is, very bad people seek her skills, too, only for the wrong reasons – world domination comes to mind.

That's not good, no wonder she needs a guardian!

As her destined Guardian, it is my duty to keep her safe, although this presents challenges considering she is not only independent and stubborn, she is impossibly distracted by the changes in her life.

You do know Stuart, that I have read this story you are in, and you are right, she is rather stubborn, I have to agree.

Still, I have and will follow her to the earth-ends and back. And while she doesn’t remember everything now, somewhere inside her is the place where our love began, in another time when life was less complicated…yet more brutal. That brutality took her from me once. It won’t again.

Yes, you do your best!

She doesn’t know everything yet, and will not in this first installation of her story. It will take three volumes to document such a monumental task.

Three! Awesome!

You will see, I am sometimes remarkably useful as a Guardian, but always fully, irrevocably declared in my love for her. Layla doesn’t fully understand this yet, nor does she understand the extent of tactics I will use in her defense, but in time, she will know all truths. Because nothing can be kept from a Clear.

Very nice Stuart, now... answer a few questions for me.

We all want to be different, so what is the one thing you wish your creator had done differently with you? Well, to be quite honest, she describes the events and my part in them with remarkable accuracy. There was no time to learn all there is to know about me, hence the series. She portrays me with a somewhat dark mystique. I find that rather amusing since I don’t fancy myself too much one way or the other.

Oh, yes she does portray you that way.

If you could have added something to the story, and your creator would have let you, what would that have been?I wish I had trusted my instinct to return to Layla’s room…the night…the night they took her…I can’t talk about it easily, sorry. I wonder why Layla was able to convince me she was ok, when nothing could be further from the truth.

She is a very strong young woman, I was not surprised she kept that from you.

What do you love best about yourself? What do you like least?I suppose now I love the fact that I’m dark and mysterious *laughs* - seriously, I love being tuned in to Layla. Our ability to communicate without words is savagely sexy. I am privileged to have that connection to her. The thing I like least is that my past, the time spent waiting for her to return, is filled with secrets that will hurt her deeply. I also loathe that I don’t have the heart to tell her anything at this point.

Oh Stuart... Now you have me wondering what you were up to.

What part of the book was the hardest for you and your creator to work through? Well, I am quite particular about how things should be presented and said. I was very certain about how I wanted things worded

Beth interjects: “You were insistent, Stuart. I think that’s a better word. You would make we wake up at night and make notes on my tablet. Brute!”

So, you see first hand how we banter. But, in the end, wasn’t I almost always right?

*Beth nods then blushes*

Well, that’s settled! Honestly, I was relentless, making changes after we went to print and such. We have a better working relationship now I am happy to say!

Did she really just call you a Brute? (I whisper to Stuart and we both chuckle).

Is there a sequel for this book? If so, what do you want to accomplish in the next book.

Yes, so we have talked sequels – the next installation is Soul Herder (Vision #2) out later this year. Vision tells the beginning, but Soul Herder delves into the danger, loss and pain of Layla’s journey. It is difficult to discuss, because I’ve lived it, but let’s just say Layla’s life changes forever…and so does she.

Wow Stuart, that last sentence is very intense! I can't wait till it comes out. I mentioned earlier that I really enjoyed this book. It is a great Young Adult Paranormal novel.

Thank you so much for coming to talk to me today, and Beth, thank you for coming too!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Twitter has been a tool of blessing for me. I’ve meet a lot of friends and authors through it that have made a great difference in my life. One of them and one of the most important is Melissa Foster. You could never tell what a great and successful writer Melissa is just by interacting with her. She is very humble, energetic, authentic and friendly. The more you get to know Melissa you realize she has a heart for new authors, which to me was the answer prayer of an indie author that knew nothing about the business and nobody to hold my hand through the process.

Melissa has created a group called Women’s Literary Café (that is not only for women and includes many great male authors as well). This group has been an avenue for many indie authors to obtain exposure and achieve their dreams in the book world.

When I published my first book “Growth Lessons” in October I didn’t know any other writers. I had met a few of them online but not close enough to feel comfortable to ask questions that could help me succeed. Melissa is available, honest and helpful. I call her my guardian angel. Being in what I called a specialized genre (Christian writing), she placed me in contact with a group of Christian writers emerging. Both Melissa and the group have been very helpful and sensitive to my needs. It’s like a big family working together. It’s hard to put into words everything I’ve learned about promotion marketing, the business of being an author, social media, Twitter, Hootsuite, Facebook and how much I have grown professionally in such a short time.

To top that off, I’ve had the pleasure to read two of Melissa’s books, “Megan’s Way” and “Come Back to Me”. I wrote reviews for them, so I’m also a fan of her books which really moved all my emotions.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

In the early weeks of September, 2011, I happened to notice a tweet from Melissa Foster asking for authors interested in teaming up with her in a book promotion. At the time, I really didn’t know much about Melissa Foster. I knew she was an author and that she had helped me figure out what hash-tags on tweeter were, but other than that, she was mostly just a name I consistently noticed scrolling down the tweeter feed. Well, I quickly responded that I would be interested, although I didn’t really know what I was getting into because I had never participated in a book promotion, but figured I had nothing to lose. Needless to say, that one little tweet, that one 140 character message, was the start of something special.

After getting my tweet reply, I quickly received an email from Melissa filling me in on the requirements and expectations of authors participating in the promotion and then we got to work. Once she got commitments from 35 different authors to participate in the promotion, she set up a Facebook page where we could introduce ourselves, communicate with one another, bounce ideas off one another, and celebrate our collective successes together. I don’t know how Melissa managed to pull it off, but she was able to find 35 different authors who were all willing to work together and promote each other individually as well as collectively. Although not everything ran as smoothly as we would have liked, Melissa was able to hold the group together, guide us through the process, put out every fire that arose, and helped mold the group from a collection of 35 individuals, into a group of friends who are interested in everyone’s success, not just our own individual success.

Needless to say, the book promotion/book launch for Melissa’s third novel Come Back to Me was a resounding success and one that I was simply blessed to be a part of. Melissa made the experience wonderful because she is so willing to share of her expertise, her knowledge, and of herself. The thing that made being in this group so special is the fact that Melissa was more interested in the groups’ success than her own. In the weeks leading up to the book launch, Melissa taught me how to promote my books, using Facebook, Google+, and Tweeter. She taught me effective ways to use social media, talked with me about me cover designs, offered advice on finding editors, and helped find readers to review me novels. In the weeks I got to work with Melissa in the weeks leading up to the book promotion, I not only found someone willing to mentor me as I navigate the book publishing world, but I also found a great friend.

As the promotion ended, I was exhilarated because it was so successful, but I was also a little sad. I was afraid that the tremendous authors in our group where about to go our separate ways and that Melissa would move on to bigger and better book promos. This fear was simply unfounded because Melissa was able to bring us together as members of the Women’s Literary Café. Again, I didn’t know what I was getting into as a member of the WLC, but I figured I didn’t have anything to lose. Little did I know that Melissa had built a site that would give readers and writers an opportunity to come together and share interviews, reviews, discussions, and insights. The WLC also offers authors a place to find information about promotions, cover designs, editing services, and everything else an author needs to become a “successful” indie author. As the creator and driving force behind The WLC, Melissa has developed a more streamlined way to share her knowledge and serve as a mentor, not only to me, but to countless authors struggling to find their way in the literary world today.

I am truly humbled to call Melissa Foster a mentor and, more importantly, a friend. She has been supportive of my writing, my novels, and my work as an author. She has been there to offer advice, make suggestions, give me pep talks, and bring me back down to earth. There is simply no way I could ever repay Melissa for everything she has been for me in the past four months and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. Melissa is one of those wonderful human beings who are willing to give of herself, simply because she thinks it is the right thing to do. I am honored to work with Melissa and I wish her continued success in everything she decides to do in life.

Friday, January 20, 2012

In November, I joined a wonderful group of authors to help support the release of Melissa Foster’s new book “Come Back to Me.” This group was the beginning of the WoMen’s Literary Café, a collaboration of authors and readers working together to share our love of books.

If you’re not familiar with the site, it brings authors and readers together with features such as a book reviewer’s forum, a bloggers forum, book specials, free books, and introductions of new books on a monthly basis. The site was created by Foster, and is her current brain child. Foster has put together other websites and projects for readers and authors to come together in the past. The Café is her latest brain child, and it is taking off like a rocket. There have been many members, both authors and readers, who have joined since its induction in November, and several events, such as the Year of the Indie event in December.

In joining the WoMen’s Literary Café, I have gotten to know some wonderful authors who are always willing to extend an open arm and help each other out. It’s a community I’m both honored and proud to be affiliated with. Thanks to the group, I’m learning more about marketing my book, which is my weakness, and finding new readers who I hope will come to love my books, and new authors whose work I have come to love. I’m learning a lot about the book business we’re in, and learning what it’s like to be part of both the Indie Book world and the Epub world. I’m honored to be a part of both.

If you’re an author or reader who is looking for a more personal connection with both authors and readers, join us at the WoMen’s Literary Café. We’re open 24/7.

Andrea ~ I am so very glad that you area a part of the WLC! You always have a way of bringing a smile to everyone!! Thank you for all that you have done to help others - keep passing it on! Thank you! ~ Stacy

To learn more about WoMen’s Literary Café (hosting both men and women), please visit:

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Guest post from author Peter AdlerWriting as A.R. SilverberryMember of the WLC

By nature, a writer’s life is often lonely. We spend hours spinning yarns behind our computers. During the wee hours of the morning, when our muse grabs us, the only conversations we have are with the characters in our heads. Proofing galleys, rewriting, and reviewing editor’s comments are solitary tasks. For the indie author, bringing our work to the public is done without the support of the well-oiled machine of traditional publishing. The complex tasks of creating book covers, interior design and formatting, distribution, and marketing, are managed by the author. The indie author, by definition, wears all hats. And goes it alone.

Trying to get noticed in the midst of the vast ocean of the internet has felt overwhelming. At times, I felt like a floundering spec. One day, I saw a tweet about the Women’s Literary Cafe (WLC). I popped over to their website, and loved what I saw. They talked about helping indie writers get more notice for their work, so I signed up. The next thing I knew, I was connecting with the bestselling and award-winning author, MelissaFoster, and a group of extraordinary authors.

Since joining WLC, I’ve grown the number of followers on my Facebook author page by twelve hundred percent. I’ve got a core group of friends who regularly tweet and Like my posts. I’ve signed up for book promotion opportunities, including reviews, interviews, the Come Back To Me book launch, and my book on their website. Together, these have effectively expanded my exposure to tens of thousands of book enthusiasts.

All of this would not be possible without Melissa Foster, WLC founder. She is not only a talented author, but a savvy marketer with over twenty five years of entrepreneurial experience. She’s a powerhouse of energy and ideas, and freely shares what she knows. She’s devoted to seeing us all succeed. Through her leadership and vision, she has created a community of authors who are there for me. Instead of trying to invent the wheel myself, my WLC friends regularly pass on ideas and tips about blog tours, where to get reviews, participate in giveaways, interview opportunities, and more. These are all things I might spend months searching for, and now have at my fingertips on a daily basis. I can truly count on these folks as friends. If you’re an author looking for camaraderie, community, connection, networking, advice, and more, zip on over to WLC.

Melissa understands that while we are independent, we’re stronger if we support each other. She understands giving us more important than getting. I count her as both mentor and friend.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Three years ago, while living in Boulder, Colorado, I finished my first book that I had been working on for around 5 years, on and off. I put it up on CreateSpace and Amazon and then, knowing nothing, let it sit there. Months later, I moved back to Ottawa, Canada and basically let the book rot while I did other things.

In October, 2011, I decided I wanted to get back to writing and to promoting my first book, which I had been told was a good read by the few who had read it. I purchased some books on how to market using social media and proceeded to put some serious effort into getting my name out there. I set up my author web site, created an author page on Facebook and started a Twitter account for my book. I then spent days going through Twitter and finding people who were doing things related to what I was interested in. In early November, I ran into the IndieKindle tweet promotion at womensliterarycafe.com. This seemed like a neat way to get some free promotion so I signed up for it.

While doing this, I took a good look around the WLC site. I noticed, mainly because the icon next to the URL was a Drupal icon, that the site was created in Drupal. I also noticed some minor issues the the site's functionality. I manage large Drupal installations and know Drupal pretty well, so I wrote Melissa Foster an email suggesting some easy tweaks. She immediately wrote me back and thanked me profusely. I told her I would be happy to help her with the site and we struck up a friendship quickly.

I noticed today as I looked at my WLC profile that I have been a site member for 7 weeks and 4 days. In that time, I can honestly say my life has been transformed. Melissa and the WLC community have welcomed me with open arms and I have found a group of awesome people who truly care and push for the success of the entire community. My dealings with other members have always been positive and upbeat. Everyone seems dedicated to mutual support and it all starts with Melissa.

Melissa is a unique individual. She is obviously successful. She has multiple international bestsellers. She has made her mark and easily could just keep writing and marketing herself. Instead, she does that and so much more. She supports, instructs and encourages so many others. She does this both individually and in groups. She takes time she could be using to further her own career to help and encourage those who have so much farther to go and she doesn't expect anything in return. What she gets in return, from me and many others, is the desire for us to help her make this great community get better and better. She is constantly telling me not to do too much or asking me if she is burdening me with work. I look at her and everything she is doing and I can't imagine even being able to do enough to feel like she is burdening me. I truly enjoy helping with WLC and giving back to a group of great people some of the skills I have developed over the years. I am lousy at marketing, but I am good at web site development, so it's a definite win-win for me. Honestly though, I would be proud to help with this project even if I wasn't a writer.

As for the writing part, since joining WLC my book has sold. It was completely unknown before and now people are buying it. It has a long way to go to be a best seller, but all I ever wanted was to get people to read it and let me know what they thought. I would like to keep writing and maybe someday doing it full time, but all I want right now is to know if others think it's worth it. WLC is giving me the opportunity to find that out and making it fun at the same time. I am thrilled and honored to be part of it and I thank my lucky stars to have met Melissa Foster.

Chris ~ I am so glad that you are a part of the WLC! I know that you have helped me out more then once with a site issue and I am so glad we have you to come to when we need it! Welcome to the team and Thank you! ~ Stacy

To learn more about WoMen’s Literary Café (hosting both men and women), please visit:

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